Whiten Your Teeth: A How-To

Whether you want to whiten your teeth naturally at home, with OTC products, or in our office, you have many different options!

Having a bright, white smile is a huge confidence booster that anyone would love to have. While the absolute best way to have the whitest smile possible is having an in-office procedure, here a couple different options:

Natural, at-home remedies

You may want to opt for some home remedies for whitening your pearly whites. These options are inexpensive and you may have many of the ingredients for a bright smile already in your home! While we cannot attest to the full effectiveness of these home remedies (everything works differently for different people!), these are easy for anyone to try.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda: Mixing these two ingredients together to make toothpaste will help whiten your teeth. Make sure that your ratio of baking soda is less than the hydrogen peroxide and that your paste is not gritty (we like about 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and 1 tablespoon of baking soda).

Strawberries (used alone or mashed into a paste with salt): strawberries are nature’s natural whitener! Unlike other berries (raspberries or blackberries), strawberries do not stain teeth. Rather, they contain malic acid, which can help remove the surface stains on your teeth. Adding salt to a strawberry paste can act as the coarse part of the paste.

Over-the-counter (OTC) products

Whether you want whitening strips, toothpaste, or a mouthwash, there are a few different OTC items that you can find in any drugstore. We like:

Knowing what causes yellow, stained teeth is the best way to combat the stains in the first place. Anything from food, beverages, genetics, to lifestyle will contribute to stained teeth. A quick look at some causes of stained teeth: